Monday’s winds claimed the electric service at Don and Bonnie Gibson’s house at 6014 Merwin Chase Road.
A large tree branch from a neighbor’s yard came down on their service line, but severed only one of the three wires that take electricity from the power pole into a home, leaving half of the power on, said Fire Chief David Masirovits.
The conduit pipe that channels the wires from the roof into the breaker box heated up, igniting wood siding and insulation, he said.
Mrs. Gibson was home and heard the tree fall.
“I thought it was thunder,” she said.
Her husband, who was across the street, saw smoke coming out of the east side of their house. He went in the house and turned off the main power switch, but sparks flew out of the box.
They called 911 at 11:46 a.m.
Firefighters saw a little flame and a lot of smoke when they first arrived, but couldn’t do much until an Ohio Edison workman arrived at 12:30 p.m. and cut the power from the pole, Masirovits said. Then, they pulled down vinyl siding and insulation and could see scorched wood siding underneath.
The Gibsons will need to hire an electrician to restore their service, the chief said.
Gibson said they have insurance.
Brookfield firefighter Derek Hollander rips insulation from a home on Merwin Chase Road that suffered fire damage when a tree branch fell on electric wires.
